Only four classes this summer. Clinical Medicine, Epidemiology/Statistics, Human Behavior, and Genetics/Immunology. Despite starting Genetics before school started and having no class Friday, I still find myself struggling to keep up. There is A LOT of reading this semester. And while I devoured books as a teenager, it is not something that comes easily to me anymore. I'm not sure if my attention span is lacking or if I need to visit the eye doctor or a combination of both.
This semester I will have two presentations to give. We were told to select our topics by the end of the first week. No pressure. I'll be doing a Genetics presentation on the genetic variations of monozygotic twins. Should be fascinating to try to get to the bottom of how it's possible for Amelia to have a little birthmark on her right hip while Julia doesn't. My other presentation will focus on maternal and fetal safety of cesarean sections versus vaginal delivery, or something like that. I haven't quite nailed it down yet. While part of me wants to sigh in exasperation at the amount of work I will be doing over the next seven weeks, another part of me that ADORES research is thrilled. (If anyone has a link to any research on either of these two topics that would be much appreciated)
Now if someone could just tell me how to be in two places at once over the next seven weeks so I can enjoy the Summer with my family AND study, I would be forever grateful.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
My Summer Vacation
We got three weeks of Summer vacation from school. Three glorious weeks. Our longest break yet. Last semester was rough - really rough. So a vacation was most-certainly needed. And boy was it eventful.
Our first week off, the girls and I hosted a tea party for some of the ladies of my family. We dressed up and invited my grandma, my mom, my sister-in-law and my two nieces over for cupcakes and "tea" (apple cider).
The next week was our big trip to DisneyWorld. We went about the same time last year, but this year we had a nicer hotel room much closer to Magic Kingdom. The highlight of the trip for the girls was the pool and the character meet and greets. Of course they still had their old favorites, Dumbo and the teacups and found a new favorite in Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom. Amelia was really into the show in front of the castle. She is still talking about how Maleficent tried to steal her dreams.
We got home last Sunday. The plan for Memorial day was to take care of a few things around the house, do some grocery shopping, and take the kids to my parents' house for swimming and dinner. We had an unexpected change of plans.
Jonathan was out mowing the yard when I decided to leave the girls watching Cinderella so I could take a shower. Just before rinsing, I heard one of the girls crying. I called for them a couple of times and no one came. So I hopped out of the shower, threw a towel on, and ran off to look for the crying kid (thinking something horrible must have happened). Amelia was still playing with her doll while watching Cinderella, but I heard Julia crying in her bathroom. I darted in that direction and just as my still wet foot hit the tile of the entry and I was rounding the corner, my foot slid out from under me and my head hit the corner of the wall. I sat down hard on the entry rug and just held my head for a few minutes until I realized my hand was getting warm. Blood.
Amelia and I were both in our birthday suits (she had her princess dress taken away from her before my shower because hitting her sister was not very princess-like behavior), so I sent Julia in her leotard and tutu outside to get Jonathan. After a mad dash of getting all four of us dressed and ready to go, we dropped the kids off with my parents and Jonathan and I headed to the ER since urgent care wasn't open due to the holiday. Two staples by a very nice PA later and we were ready to resume our day.
So after all my years of ice skating and gymnastics, it wasn't until I had children that I injured myself severely enough to need a medical professional. The good news is that Julia is fine. We never found out why she was crying. We also still made it to my parents house for dinner and I even had enough time to make the (amazing) pink lemonade cupcakes that I promised to bring.
The rest of this week has been less eventful (praise the Lord). We picnicked at the park on Tuesday with a friend and her kids. Wednesday we made it to story time at the library. Today the girls will be spending some time with their aunt and I will be running errands and reading Genetics for my class on Tuesday.
Eight more weeks of classwork and then we begin rotations.
I'll leave you with a few pictures from one of our early days of vacation. The girls' first time waterpainting and playing outside.
Our first week off, the girls and I hosted a tea party for some of the ladies of my family. We dressed up and invited my grandma, my mom, my sister-in-law and my two nieces over for cupcakes and "tea" (apple cider).
The next week was our big trip to DisneyWorld. We went about the same time last year, but this year we had a nicer hotel room much closer to Magic Kingdom. The highlight of the trip for the girls was the pool and the character meet and greets. Of course they still had their old favorites, Dumbo and the teacups and found a new favorite in Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom. Amelia was really into the show in front of the castle. She is still talking about how Maleficent tried to steal her dreams.
We got home last Sunday. The plan for Memorial day was to take care of a few things around the house, do some grocery shopping, and take the kids to my parents' house for swimming and dinner. We had an unexpected change of plans.
Jonathan was out mowing the yard when I decided to leave the girls watching Cinderella so I could take a shower. Just before rinsing, I heard one of the girls crying. I called for them a couple of times and no one came. So I hopped out of the shower, threw a towel on, and ran off to look for the crying kid (thinking something horrible must have happened). Amelia was still playing with her doll while watching Cinderella, but I heard Julia crying in her bathroom. I darted in that direction and just as my still wet foot hit the tile of the entry and I was rounding the corner, my foot slid out from under me and my head hit the corner of the wall. I sat down hard on the entry rug and just held my head for a few minutes until I realized my hand was getting warm. Blood.
Amelia and I were both in our birthday suits (she had her princess dress taken away from her before my shower because hitting her sister was not very princess-like behavior), so I sent Julia in her leotard and tutu outside to get Jonathan. After a mad dash of getting all four of us dressed and ready to go, we dropped the kids off with my parents and Jonathan and I headed to the ER since urgent care wasn't open due to the holiday. Two staples by a very nice PA later and we were ready to resume our day.
So after all my years of ice skating and gymnastics, it wasn't until I had children that I injured myself severely enough to need a medical professional. The good news is that Julia is fine. We never found out why she was crying. We also still made it to my parents house for dinner and I even had enough time to make the (amazing) pink lemonade cupcakes that I promised to bring.
The rest of this week has been less eventful (praise the Lord). We picnicked at the park on Tuesday with a friend and her kids. Wednesday we made it to story time at the library. Today the girls will be spending some time with their aunt and I will be running errands and reading Genetics for my class on Tuesday.
Eight more weeks of classwork and then we begin rotations.
I'll leave you with a few pictures from one of our early days of vacation. The girls' first time waterpainting and playing outside.
Amelia
Julia
I got to read Fiction over my break!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Birthday Talk Already?!?!
Yes, I am that person. I plan parties several months in advance. I just get so darn excited. I think this time it's going to pay off since I'll be knee-deep in school work in March. I already booked the party place, bought the party supplies, and we've bought presents. All we have left to worry about is food! So here's a sneak peak at our Tangled party!
The Location
The Tablecovers, Napkins, and Invitations
The Plates, Cups, and Forks
For the paper lanterns I will make
Anyone have creative ideas for a cake?
**Update**
The party went well. Everything turned out beautifully.
The Location
The Tablecovers, Napkins, and Invitations
The Plates, Cups, and Forks
For the paper lanterns I will make
Anyone have creative ideas for a cake?
**Update**
The party went well. Everything turned out beautifully.
A classmates wife made these adorable shirts. Check her out at http://www.kallaskreations.com/Kallas_Kreations/Home.html
The cake design was based on the back of their napkins. The only close-up picture I have wants to be sideways. Unfortunately, I can't take credit for this one. It was store bought.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Musing Induced Insomnia
The Mega Millions was up to $300-something million a few days ago. We played. When we play we also play the what-if-we-win game. Jonathan's dream if we win is to start in indoor kicking arena. A place where he could train people to kick (footballs) and people could practic kicking. It would have a workout facility, offer camps, have a special week for underprivledged kids, etc. Pretty awesome.
My dream keeps me awake at night thinking and planning. My dream is more eaily attainable. Someday I will see my dream become a reality. I want to be a Bradley Method Instructor. I want to educate women about all things childbirth related. The closer I get to our women's health module in school (this semester!) the more excited I get. If we won the lottery, I told Jonathan that we could buy a bigger house with a room dedicated to my Bradley Method courses. It would have bookshelves for my library of pregnancy and beyond books, comfortable seating that's easy for pregnant women to get in and out of, a TV for our movies, and an ample amount of floor space. I would use all my PA school education and the Bradley Method Training I would get and educate women about their own bodies, their developing babies, and how to make educated decisions about their childbirth experience. Maybe I would even make and sell cute crafts for new babies, become a certified yoga instructor and teach prenatal yoga, and become a doula. Three years after I took my Bradley Method class and I still feel just as passionate about it. This dream is a keeper.
For more information about the Bradley Method
www.bradleybirth.com
Facebook - The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth
My dream keeps me awake at night thinking and planning. My dream is more eaily attainable. Someday I will see my dream become a reality. I want to be a Bradley Method Instructor. I want to educate women about all things childbirth related. The closer I get to our women's health module in school (this semester!) the more excited I get. If we won the lottery, I told Jonathan that we could buy a bigger house with a room dedicated to my Bradley Method courses. It would have bookshelves for my library of pregnancy and beyond books, comfortable seating that's easy for pregnant women to get in and out of, a TV for our movies, and an ample amount of floor space. I would use all my PA school education and the Bradley Method Training I would get and educate women about their own bodies, their developing babies, and how to make educated decisions about their childbirth experience. Maybe I would even make and sell cute crafts for new babies, become a certified yoga instructor and teach prenatal yoga, and become a doula. Three years after I took my Bradley Method class and I still feel just as passionate about it. This dream is a keeper.
For more information about the Bradley Method
www.bradleybirth.com
Facebook - The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Another Semester Survived
Two semesters of class work done, two to go. Then I get to start my rotations. We fell into a better groove this semester that we will continue next semester. I am a morning person. My brain doesn't operate at night. So I get up at 4am each day and go to school and study until class starts at 9:00 or 10:00am. Hubby drops the kids off at daycare on his way to work. I get out of class at 4:00pm and pick up the girls and we go home and make dinner and spend the evening together. I feel like I've found about as a good a balance between school and family as possible. Now I just need a house elf to help me keep the house clean. As it is, I struggle just to keep up with the laundry and dishes.
Right now school is out and I get to savor every moment with my family with minimal study stress in the back of my mind. And to make things even better, I did all my Christmas shopping online this year and started shopping super early, so I am completely done with gifts wrapped and under the tree.
Today little Amelia and I are having a Mommy and Amelia day while Julia is in school. I was going to take Amelia back in time for lunch, but my poor girl is not feeling well. She is running a low-grade fever and skipped lunch in favor of a nap. She's not been my normal happy, bubbly Amelia. Hopefully she'll be feeling better by tomorrow so Julia and I can have our scheduled Mommy and Julia day.
Hope you all are enjoying your holiday as much as I am! God bless.
Right now school is out and I get to savor every moment with my family with minimal study stress in the back of my mind. And to make things even better, I did all my Christmas shopping online this year and started shopping super early, so I am completely done with gifts wrapped and under the tree.
Today little Amelia and I are having a Mommy and Amelia day while Julia is in school. I was going to take Amelia back in time for lunch, but my poor girl is not feeling well. She is running a low-grade fever and skipped lunch in favor of a nap. She's not been my normal happy, bubbly Amelia. Hopefully she'll be feeling better by tomorrow so Julia and I can have our scheduled Mommy and Julia day.
Hope you all are enjoying your holiday as much as I am! God bless.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Facebook Friday
For anyone that didn't catch it last time I did this, Facebook Friday is a review of my Facebook statuses for the week.
Tuesday - Amelia informed me last night that she wants me to buy her a pillow pet - this was not following a commercial for said product.
Tuesday - Cleaning out the girls closet. One trash bag full of shoes to donate. One trash bag full of clothes to donate. Two bags of size 24 month and 2T clothes to lend to family and friends. Maybe I should open a consignment store.
Wednesday - Kitchen and bathroom are now clean. Moving on to the dreaded chore of hanging my clothes.
Wednesday - Tackling the office. Last room of the house to clean.
Thursday - Still trying to sell our Graco DuoGlider (double stroller) with SnugRide car seat and two bases. http://tulsa.craigslist.org/bab/18860953
Thursday - The girls slept past 7:00! First time in a long time that has happened. Now I need to convince them that wearing clothes is a good idea, so I can take them to school.
Thursday - My kids pretend to take each other's noses and now heads. It's all fun and games until they won't give it back. Is it wrong that I just laugh while they scream, "My head, my head! Sissy take my head!"?
Thursday - The girls saying bye to their Aunt Autumn: Bye, Ottoman!
Friday -The girls slept until 7:30 today! I was able to remove the switch plates and hardware from the bathroom walls and start taping off so I can paint. Sleeping in is great while I'm not in school, but could become a problem next week.
Tuesday - Amelia informed me last night that she wants me to buy her a pillow pet - this was not following a commercial for said product.
Tuesday - Cleaning out the girls closet. One trash bag full of shoes to donate. One trash bag full of clothes to donate. Two bags of size 24 month and 2T clothes to lend to family and friends. Maybe I should open a consignment store.
Wednesday - Kitchen and bathroom are now clean. Moving on to the dreaded chore of hanging my clothes.
Wednesday - Tackling the office. Last room of the house to clean.
Thursday - Still trying to sell our Graco DuoGlider (double stroller) with SnugRide car seat and two bases. http://tulsa.craigslist.org/bab/18860953
Thursday - The girls slept past 7:00! First time in a long time that has happened. Now I need to convince them that wearing clothes is a good idea, so I can take them to school.
Thursday - My kids pretend to take each other's noses and now heads. It's all fun and games until they won't give it back. Is it wrong that I just laugh while they scream, "My head, my head! Sissy take my head!"?
Thursday - The girls saying bye to their Aunt Autumn: Bye, Ottoman!
Friday -The girls slept until 7:30 today! I was able to remove the switch plates and hardware from the bathroom walls and start taping off so I can paint. Sleeping in is great while I'm not in school, but could become a problem next week.
Monday, August 9, 2010
A Little Update
Today is my first day since having my kids that I have the house to myself and no schoolwork to do. I am looking forward to deep-cleaning my house! I know crazy. But it hasn't been cleaned properly since sometime before I started school.
Friday was my last day of Summer semester - and boy was it a rough one. Going to school full-time has been a huge adjustment. I knew it would be hard to put the girls in school full-time, but that I could handle it. What I didn't anticipate was how little time I would get to spend with my husband and kids in the evenings. My typical day went something like this:
6:00am - get myself dressed and ready for school
6:45am - girls wake up and get them ready for school
7:15am - drop the girls off at school
8:15 -5:00 - school
5:30pm - home to eat with the family
6:30pm - shut myself away to study
7:30pm - help hubby put the girls to bed
8:15pm - more studying
10:00pm - sleep
And despite all the time I spent focused on school, I still struggled to pass all my class. I was an emotional wreck for probably the last month and dealt with overwhelming anxiety for the entire two months (by the week before finals, I had a perpetual eye twitch). I regularly questioned why I was putting myself and my family through it all. All my reasons for doing this seemed so unimportant when faced with the fact that I missed my family so much and I wasn't even excelling at what I was doing. Then we had to go to the clinic one night and shadow an attending doctor. I shadowed an amazing allergist. She taught me so much including how to perform skin testing! I was asked to look in ears and noses and read testing results. I had such a great time. And when I finally got my grades last week, I passed all my classes and I felt so good about what I had accomplished this past semester. I took Biochemistry and Anatomy in 8 weeks in addition to two other classes and came out on the other side. I survived the difficult transition into full-time school and being away from my family - and they survived it too! I only have three more semesters of class work before I begin my rotations. That's just one year. I will graduate and go on to have a fulfilling career and teach my children that with hard work and perseverance one can overcome much. But when coupled with prayer and being in God's will, one can do anything.
Friday was my last day of Summer semester - and boy was it a rough one. Going to school full-time has been a huge adjustment. I knew it would be hard to put the girls in school full-time, but that I could handle it. What I didn't anticipate was how little time I would get to spend with my husband and kids in the evenings. My typical day went something like this:
6:00am - get myself dressed and ready for school
6:45am - girls wake up and get them ready for school
7:15am - drop the girls off at school
8:15 -5:00 - school
5:30pm - home to eat with the family
6:30pm - shut myself away to study
7:30pm - help hubby put the girls to bed
8:15pm - more studying
10:00pm - sleep
And despite all the time I spent focused on school, I still struggled to pass all my class. I was an emotional wreck for probably the last month and dealt with overwhelming anxiety for the entire two months (by the week before finals, I had a perpetual eye twitch). I regularly questioned why I was putting myself and my family through it all. All my reasons for doing this seemed so unimportant when faced with the fact that I missed my family so much and I wasn't even excelling at what I was doing. Then we had to go to the clinic one night and shadow an attending doctor. I shadowed an amazing allergist. She taught me so much including how to perform skin testing! I was asked to look in ears and noses and read testing results. I had such a great time. And when I finally got my grades last week, I passed all my classes and I felt so good about what I had accomplished this past semester. I took Biochemistry and Anatomy in 8 weeks in addition to two other classes and came out on the other side. I survived the difficult transition into full-time school and being away from my family - and they survived it too! I only have three more semesters of class work before I begin my rotations. That's just one year. I will graduate and go on to have a fulfilling career and teach my children that with hard work and perseverance one can overcome much. But when coupled with prayer and being in God's will, one can do anything.
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